Chapter 239: A Ruined Reputation
CRACK~
"AHHH~~"
The sound of a bone breaking, accompanied by Sheng Shiwen’s wretched scream, echoed throughout the hall.
Sheng Shiwen howled in pain, his eyes widening in astonishment as he looked at the excessively beautiful girl before him.
"You... How could you be so vicious?"
He was twenty-two this year. Back then, the Sheng Family had a slot for him to attend university, and after graduating, he got a job at a state-owned enterprise. One could say his life had been smooth sailing from childhood.
Although he had willingly shielded his sister from the stick, he never imagined that Jiang Ruyan would be so ruthless.
This delicate-looking girl was so malicious, striking his kneecap with a single blow. The pain of the fractured bone was excruciating, piercing him to the core.
He had never suffered like this before. The pain was so intense that cold sweat streamed down his face.
But even in this life-or-death agony, he still shielded his sister, taking the second blow for her as well.
Seeing Sheng Shiwen half-kneeling on the floor and wailing, Sheng Yueyue was so frightened her face turned white as a sheet, and her hands and feet grew cold.
’If my second brother hadn’t stepped forward, wouldn’t I be the one on the ground?’
Sheng Yueyue stood frozen in place, gritting her teeth and cursing, "Jiang Ruyan, you’re too cruel!"
"This is cruel? We’re just getting started! When you slapped me for no reason before, did you ever think I’d hit back?"
Jiang Ruyan raised the stick and pointed it at Sheng Yueyue, wishing she could cut her into a thousand pieces.
She had been just one step away from marrying Song Zijin. It wasn’t that she liked Song Zijin so much, but she couldn’t accept this outcome.
Seeing Jiang Ruyan arrogantly pointing the stick at her, Sheng Yueyue could only swallow her anger and fear, inching backward step by step to get away from the danger.
She completely ignored Sheng Shiwen, who was still half-kneeling in front of her, as she saw Jiang Ruyan’s third blow about to strike him on the head.
Everyone closed their eyes in terror. In the nick of time, Su Shuochi threw the rice bowl he was holding.
CLANG.
Everyone opened their eyes to see the wooden stick fall from Jiang Ruyan’s hand onto the floor.
At that moment, the Song Family’s cousins also rushed over and seized Jiang Ruyan. The two young men who had come in with Jiang Ruyan were purely there for moral support.
They weren’t holding any weapons, and as soon as they saw Jiang Ruyan being caught, they immediately ran off. Since they hadn’t attacked anyone, no one bothered to chase them.
From several tables away, Sheng Shiwu and Second Uncle Sheng rushed over at the same time. The two of them helped Sheng Shiwen up.
"Ah, ah, it hurts so much." Sheng Shiwen shrieked, grimacing in pain.
Sheng Yueyue now rushed in front of Jiang Ruyan and began to curse her out, "You venomous bitch! You’re so shameless! You couldn’t snatch the groom, so you decided to cripple me instead?"
Jiang Ruyan, however, ignored Sheng Yueyue. Her dark eyes stared at Song Zijin, filled with nothing but pain.
A whirlwind of emotions swirled within them—tenderness, grievance, shock—a silent, tearful plea that seemed capable of shattering a person’s heart.
Song Zijin’s heart truly shattered into a million pieces. He opened his mouth to say something, but Uncle Song clamped a hand over it.
’If his nephew still didn’t have a clue and said something foolish in front of everyone, it would be an absolute joke!’
Divine Doctor Jiang put down his bowl and, without looking at his granddaughter, knelt down to carefully examine Sheng Shiwen’s injuries.
Seeing the wounds on Sheng Shiwen’s body and the bruise on his knee, Divine Doctor Jiang’s brow furrowed slightly.
He looked up at his granddaughter and demanded, "How did you deliver those two blows?"
Sheng Shiwen’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening. He had one broken rib and a fractured kneecap, but they could be healed.
But it was obvious that his granddaughter had deliberately aimed for the bones. Her intentions were sinister.
’How did I not know my granddaughter was so malicious? That she could fracture someone’s kneecap with a single strike.’
"Ah... it hurts so much. Divine Doctor Jiang, am I going to be in a wheelchair from now on?" Sheng Shiwen wailed ceaselessly.
Sheng Shiwu grew anxious when he heard this. "Second Brother, why are you so stupid? You just stood there and let her hit you. Why didn’t you push her away?"
"I... I..." Sheng Shiwen was in too much pain to speak. In truth, he didn’t know what to say.
’Was he supposed to admit in front of everyone that he couldn’t bear to see his own sister get hit, but he also didn’t want to hurt the delicate Miss Jiang?’
’But I never dreamed that the girl would be so vicious, striking without any mercy!’
Sheng Shiwu shot Sheng Yueyue a frosty glare. This was all her fault.
The moment Sheng Yueyue met Sheng Shiwu’s cold gaze, she trembled all over, feeling too guilty to say another word.
After all, she hadn’t immediately helped her second brother up from the floor, nor had she pushed that madwoman Jiang Ruyan away. A pang of guilt struck her.
Seeing this, Sheng Shiwen quickly said, "Third Brother, you’re scaring our sister. I did it willingly."
After throwing his bowl to block the third blow for Sheng Shiwen, Su Shuochi had remained seated at his table without moving.
He had come to the Song Family’s wedding feast out of respect for Mr. Song. Since he happened to see the son of his direct supervisor, Mr. Sheng, being beaten, he might as well lend a hand.
He would have done the same even if a stranger was about to get their head bashed in.
"Get a door panel to carry him to the hospital. The bones need to be set immediately, and the ribs need an X-ray," Divine Doctor Jiang instructed.
Second Uncle Sheng heard this and nodded. "Alright, we’ll take Shi Wen to the hospital right away."
"Uncle, Xiao Wu, I don’t plan to hold Miss Jiang responsible. Let’s just leave it at that!"
Seeing his second brother furrowing his brow in pain yet still pleading for that malicious woman, Sheng Shiwu said peevishly,
"Second Brother, since you’re pleading for her, I’ll let her off this time! But you better remember, this is the last time. Otherwise, watch your arm."
After he spoke, he glared viciously at Jiang Ruyan, as if he wanted to break her arm right then and there.
He knew Jiang Ruyan, too. When they were children, she had always been a guest at the Jiang Family’s house in their compound.
Since his second brother wasn’t pressing charges, he wouldn’t hate her either. Jiaojiao had said that hating someone was a waste of one’s own energy.
’To me, she’s just a stranger now. What’s happened has happened. I should cherish the present and live my life well from now on.’
Jiang Ruyan hadn’t expected that the grown-up Third Sheng would be so outstanding.
That familiar face, those familiar eyes, stared at her, now devoid of any emotion.
Those same eyes, which once held so much affection for her, were now just as cold.
No, they were even colder than before—impassive, without a trace of feeling, a look that sent a chill through one’s heart.
She was filled with regret. ’If only I’d known the Third Sheng was this handsome, I wouldn’t have bothered fighting Sheng Yueyue over some groom!’
’Without Sheng Yueyue, things wouldn’t have lasted between me and Song Zijin anyway. Even if we had gotten married, we would have definitely divorced.’
’And as for Sheng Yueyue and Song Zijin, even without my interference, those two wouldn’t last long either.’
’They’re both selfish people, not on the same path at all. It would be a miracle if they didn’t get divorced.’
This feeling of "losing a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed" made her extremely uncomfortable and full of regret.
Her reputation in Qing City was ruined. It would be impossible for her to get married in Qing City now!
’My grandfather must be trying to figure out how to punish me, and he probably doesn’t even know that my uncle has already given up on me.’
The more she thought about it, the more frightened Jiang Ruyan became. She began to cry bitterly, and the sight of it made Song Zijin’s heart clench.